Flying High

My quest for the perfect BDSM party in NYC continues as last night I checked out "Suspension".

Suspension has been getting rave reviews from many folks I trust so I really went out of my way to get there. For a variety of reasons, Suspension is held once month on a Sunday night at China 1 at 50 Avenue B in Manhattan. The doors open at 10:30 and close at 4:00 AM, much to the chagrin to us working folk. I have heard the main reason for the party being held on Sunday is that the organizers are having trouble finding a venue large enough to accommodate the size of the crowd they are drawing and still keep the costs down. They charge a very reasonable admission charge of 5$ for women and 10$ for men in "creative attire".

China 1 is a gorgeous club, loaded with couches and lots of lovely dark nooks and crannies for people to get naughty in. It has two pretty decent size rooms but it does get crowded. There were several suspension frames set up and there was play going on. Several rope luminaries were in attendance and putting on a show just by doing what comes naturally to them. Watch and learn, rope loving grasshoppers... The environment is still not absolutely optimal for BDSM play, but definitely the best I have seen at this kind of party in NYC.

There was very good music playing and a cash bar. The crowd was very pretty; dressing up was very much a big part of this party. One friend of mine said it was a fashion show kind of party. I can see how it could be interpreted that way. For me, though, there was just enough BDSM going on to keep me happy. Not ecstatic like I get at a big event like Dark Odyssey, TESFest or Floating World, but definitely happy. So the search for the "perfect" party continues, but Suspension is definitely a step in the right direction.

I Love My Piercer

I'm quite thrilled this morning. Last night I finally went out and adjusted a few piercings I already had and got a brand new one. On a very high recommendation from a gentleman I met at Floating World who has a HUGE number of genital piercings and others as well, I went to Leroi Jewelers in Manhattan. I had called earlier and spoke to Pete who ended up being my piercer. Leroi Manhattan now share space with Daredevil Tattoos home of the Friday the thirteenth 13 dollar tattoo special. At first I thought I was in the wrong place. But, no, I was informed I was right. Pete came out and led me back to the piercing area in the back. Pete is a lovely guy who put me at ease right away.

I had had my nipples pieced back in July and they just weren't healing right. My fault. I shoulda listened to my first piercer and gotten the straight barbells. But, no, my heart was just so set on rings I had to have them. Well, finally the other night I was speaking with a friend about it who pointed out that the curvature and movement of the rings can cause continual irritation which slows healing. Doh! Of course it does! Silly girl. Also, when I first got them done they only had a 14 gauge ring not a 12. I never really was happy with that size. So Pete the Piercer and I talked about it and we decided to put straight barbells in, titanium just in case there was any allergy issue and size up to a 10 gauge. Pete was highly professional, exhibiting excellent aseptic technique. I'm a nurse, I can make that statement. Everything was fresh and out of a package (of course) and his area was clean and very well organized. He showed me the taper and how it would work. He instructed me to take a deep breath and let it out slowly, he did what he needed to do smoothly and efficiently. Was there pain? Of course. That's the nature of the beast. Do I believe he kept it to the minimum? Absolutely. The pain diminished to a very dull ache immediately and he let me see them in the mirror and I LOVED them. I love them even more this morning. The pain is almost completely gone. Not only that, they hurt less than the smaller rings I had in since July.

The next thing was size up my ear piercings which I have had since I was 14 to a 10 gauge as well. This hurt less, the pain was gone right after the new titanium jewelery went in. One look in the mirror and I was thrilled with them, too.

That left the last piercing, the one that I was most nervous about. The vertical clit hood piercing. With this one Pete recommended a straight 12 gauge barbell, again we went for titanium. I was uptight about this one. Even though I was flying on endorphins from the other piercings, I just could not relax. But I managed to hold still. I won't lie, this one hurt. I yelped. Pete was extremely quick about it though, and the second he was done, the pain was completely gone. And I do mean completely. I think the main reason it hurt so much was I was so tensed up. After he did it I joked about the fact that the reason the piercing area is all the way in the back was so the rest of the customers would not hear the screams. We had a chuckle about that. This morning I don't even know its there. Well, I do, but only in the best way. :-)

So check Leroi out and ask for my new friend Pete. Oh and, Pete? I'll be back.

Goodbye Bettie

Bettie Page died yesterday at the age of 85. I won't rewrite her obituary here, it will be all over the web. I will say that hers was one of the first commercial kink images I ever saw. I always thought she was an amazingly beautiful woman. Maybe one of my first girl crushes, right next to Emma Peel.
Judge for yourself...

Miss Pole Dance Australia 2008 - Felix - Winner

This has been making the rounds, but I just can not resist. The grace, physicality and sensuality of this dancer just blows my mind. Courtesy of PerthStripper.

BiRequest

OK, so it's not exactly kinky these days to be bi or pansexual. But I still go to BiRequest held the 1st and 3rd Thursday at the GLBT Center in NYC. It is a great discussion group and a super supportive safe space for Bi, Pan, questioning, and/or partners and allies of any gender. I knew I was attracted to women from my early teens but never acted on it seriously until a few years ago. BiRequest was my first opportunity to be with a larger group of Bi people. It felt like coming home; I was immediately comfortable. I would also credit that positive experience for giving me the courage to seek out more Kink groups like TES and LSM for support and camaraderie for my kinky side. While "Bi" is considered by some to be too limiting a classification, this group is not. The group is very welcoming and open, and several of us there identify as pansexual or something broader. But BiRequest gives us a place to come together and discuss the many flavors of Bi sexuality in the safety of a circle of our peers. Plus there is always a low-key and enjoyable dinner to follow. Join us!

My Favorite Party: Pleasure Salon

So far my favorite NYC kink party has got to be "Pleasure Salon" held on the 1st Wednesday of every month at the Happy Ending Lounge, on 302 Broome Street, in Manhattan. The description for Pleasure Salon is:

Pleasure Salon
6:00
Ground Floor, Happy Ending Lounge
1st Wednesday of every month

The Pleasure Salon has been created to build community, allowing sex-positive activists to cross-pollinate. Our gatherings bring together members of the BDSM, swinger, alternative gender, LGBT, sex-activist, nudist, sex-magic, polyamory, Pagan, radical faerie, tantra, dark odyssey, sex-blogger, porn, pervert and sex-worker communities, and others whose passion is sex. (Let us know if we missed any one of you!) Through building networks in the sex-positive community, The Pleasure Salon hopes to help create a sex-positive world. It is a place for the open exchange of ideas and sensual expression.

Write to: info@tantrrapm.com to request an evite.

I have only gone twice and each time I have had an amazing time. The crowd is every bit as diverse as it's billed to be. I met friends there from many of the communities I circulate in. The Dark Odyssey, TES, BiRequest, LSM, and the PolyNYC communities were all represented, just to name a few. The space is inviting and comfortable, drinks are great. OK, the fru-fru ones I was in the mood for last night were a bit pricey but oh-so-delicious. There is lots of hugging, necking, fondling, tickling and the occasional spanking or punch-fest going on, all in consentual good fun. Last night, I had a philosophical conversation about the merits of no-toys required BDSM, learned clever crazy-glue tricks and tips from a known expert in all things devious, had my hair played with by a gorgeous red head, discussed NYC burlesque with a sometime wookie lumberjack, and, well, my nipples will not be forgetting a very pretty (and bouncy) kitty girl for a long while. I lost count of the luscious kisses I collected. So definitely, kinksters and kinksterretes, do not miss the next one! You won't regret it.